March 07, 2009

Bush Justice Department memos

I thought I could not be surprised by the former Bush administration, but the release of legal memos produced by the Bush Justice Department lawyers is appalling.

After 9/11, according to the Bush lawyers, the president could authorize listening in on conversations of Americans, use military force against Americans, arrest and detain indefinitely any American, search and seize the property of any American without a warrant and suppress free speech and the media in America.

America is not a police state, and we have constitutional protections against these acts. If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention. A full investigation into these legal opinions is absolutely necessary. No one is above the law, and these lawbreakers should be brought to justice.

Comments

TinaMcG
Do you actually believe those bottom feeders have not pushed everything they could as far as they could? It would have been sooo much more juicer when Bush was in office. And since when has discussing things in memos became a crime? The President does have war powers and his primary duty is to see to the safety of the USA.

THe justice dept is loaded up with radicals the likes of Phil Kline in positions like federal judges, attorneys, and other embedded positions. They guys would not acknowledge water running downhill if it were not in the pre-decided political outcome of a case.

"Its funny Conyers, Waxman, and the entire Democrat House have spent the last three years "investigating" and guess what nada, zero.....can you spell P O L I T I C S?"

They've not come up with nothing. They just haven't taken off the gloves yet, so stay tuned. And please also remember that Clinton's two terms were a bonafide investigatory-palooza, and what did they hang him on? Lying about gettnig serviced in the Oval Office?

Alleged crimes committed by this most recent crowd have much worse implications for us as a republic.

The letter writer is the one who shreds the Constitution, by entirely ignoring Article II. The argument that the President has duties and rights conferred by Article II that cannot be limited by other branches of the government was not invented by the Bush administration. It has been current for decades. And, apparently the Obama administration agrees, at least in part:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123638765474658467.html

I will however meet you for lnch anytime Sol, I'll even buy, I get $70 more amonth in foodtstamps. Meet me at Bryant's at the Ameristar Saturday night around 2000 hours. I will be wearing my "Obama Sucks A Big One" shirt.

There are no contractors, remember all jobs have been lost, there is no work.
I see, you can wear a "I SUCK Obama's ****" short but you can not speak out against the idiot.
Secondly, I doubt they would kick anything unless they like getting a JHP in their dome.

Wait until the similar typ eof thing happens on Obama's watch. Can you say CDF?
If you say "No We Can't" or wear it on a shirt, people wanna fight and start trouble.
I personally like to wear the "F**K Obama's Welfare" shirt in public.
I love it, you see knuckleheads at the casinos wearing their "YEs We Can" shirts, yes, they can spend money at the casino while complaining about the "economy".
I would imagine these people voted based on race?

I don't think criminal prosecution would serve the country, but the long, long list of Bush administration misdeeds needs to be investigated and aired in public as a lesson and warning to future American citizens.

We either stick to our Constitutional principles or we don't. This is America, dammit. Surely we are smart enough to fight this new type of enemy without setting aside the rights for which so many have fought and died. Shame on those who thought so little of the Constitution that they would take an a-la-cart approach to supporting it for the last eight years.

I know it will be ugly and divisive if a full fledged investigation takes place and charges are filed. I know America doesn't need this kind of mess right now. But I also know that America needs to put her foot down and say this will never be allowed to happen again. I honestly don't want people to go to jail over this -- not even Karl Rove, who I have always disliked intensely. What I want is for a big spotlight to be shone on the people who thought they could act outside the law in the name of national security. The decision to do that was not theirs to make.

Yesiree, the fact that the US has not been attacked since 9/11 is because the EVeel Bush administration listened in to your phone calls to Aunt Emma about what to bring to the Thanksgiving dinner. Jeesh, talk about dolts......

One can only pray we have enough intel to not get hit again in the coming months, but I have great concerns given appeasigator in charge now....

I too had deep fears that the Bushies desired to put a dictatorship in place. But, if they wanted to they failed. Once again, despite everything, our system WORKED.

As much as I would personally enjoy seeing "Fredo", "Turd Blossom" and especially "Big Dick" dragged over the coals, the country has much more important things to do at this time. Like trying to clean up the messes these jerks created.

IMO history will judge them harshly. That, and laughing hysterically when "Turd Blossom" complains that no one should base policy on politics, needs to be enough.

But for a while, seven years ago, we were on the fence and we could have gone either way. I'm not surprised some of us "here" might consider Bush setting the Constitution aside and substituting his will in place of it to be okay.

Bush as "Dear Leader" would have still managed the support of the core, faithful. Even as some of this got out back then, you heard the faithful saying "they can spy on me if they want, I'm not doing anything wrong".

John Yoo is an evil, odd little man. How strange is it that he now teaches at UC-Berkeley.